Voting-machine.



G. H. OCUMPAUGH.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILLED DEO.19, 1907.

1,061,944, Patented May 13, 1913.

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CHARLES H. OCUMPAUGH, OF ROCHESTER, YORK.

- VOTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Application filed December 19, 1907 Serial No. 407,231.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. OCUM- PAUGH, aresident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Machines;and I do hereby declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exactdescription 0 the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to voting machines and to mechanism for what isknown as indorsed candidate voting, as where the nominee of one party isindorsed by another party.

The devices heretofore proposed are defective either infailing to givecorrectly and without necessity of calculation the total vote for theindorsed candidate, or in failing to indicate the party vote.

The object of the invention is to provide means for voting by two ormore parties for the same candidate that shall indicate the party of thevoters and also the total vote cast for such candidate, and further tosimplify devices of this general character.

The invention consists in the construction hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the improvement and formsa part of this specificatiom-Figure 1- is a broken perspective of theimproved device applied to voting mechanism such as set forth in myPatent 984,149, Feb. 14, 1911, showing two pull back indicators or keys,one of the register-actuator-moving members being omitted; Fig. 2 is apartial rear elevation of the machine the back being removed, andmultiplicationof various details such as the shaft blades being omittedFig. 3 is a partial side elevation of the push rods, registers andresetting bar of a voting machine such as described in my Patent1,013,67 9 Jan. 2, 1912, with the present improvement applied thereto,showing an indicator or key which does not have the pull back feature.Fig. 4 is an elevation of the auxiliary register apart of the casingbeing broken away; Fig. 5 is a view at right angles to Fig. 4, the casebeing shown in central section; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of anindividual register and its operating bar.

Numeral 1 denotes a vote indicator suitably supported and movableparallel with a voting machine face plate.

2 indicates a register-supporting casing to which the key is fixed, thecasing and its reg ister 3 being movable by the key, the register notbeing actuated by such movement.

4 denotes a register actuator which is operatively moved both backwardand forward to register a vote by an outgoing voter and the keys resetby means of suitable devices. A grooved bar 14 is normally not connectedwith the actuator or to the corresponding register support and remainsat rest when the indicator is moved to the right. The latter movementcarries pin 15 into the groove of bar 14 thereby operatively connectingthem so that when bar 14 is Patented May'13, 1913;

moved by any suitable means backward and forward, as by handle 40 at thetop of the machine and suitable connecting devices,

when a voter is through manipulating the keys and is leaving themachine, the bar reciprocates transversely causing the register tocount.

At the rear of the register casings is journaled at 5 in the machineframe a detachable rocking shaft or member 6, in this case supporting anauxiliary register 7 that is supplemental to the usual voting registers.Blades fixed to said shaft are denoted by 8 which are situated adjacentthe free end of an actuator 4 for a usual party register 3. It is notessential that several short blades be used (one for each actuator 4) asa single long blade would be operative.

Numeral 1O denotes an actuator for the fixed in the path of the registeractuator 10,

so that when the register actuator 4 of register 3 is given an endwisemovement, which is effected by bar 14 as above indicated, and as morefully set forth in my Patent 984,149 Feb. 14, 1911, it turns shaft 6 inits bearings, carries actuator 10 against pin 11 whereby the register 7isactuated to register a vote.

The shaft 6 and register 7 and its actuator are returned to thelr normalposition by spring 9. Said shaft 6 is preferably readily removable, forexample, referring to Fig. 2, by compressing spring 9 the shaft can beremoved from the right bearing and then from the left.

It is obvious that the described construction permits the movement of asecond key and its register 3 into operative position, but since thesecond actuator 4 if operated could not add to nor change the count ofthe auxiliary register, a cumulative vote is not effected, that is,separate votes can be counted by a plurality of registers withoutcounting more than one vote by register 7, so that registers 3 may countparty votes and register 7 the total votes of several parties for acandidate nominated by one and indorsed by another.

In Fig. 3 the improvement is shown applied to a push key a acting on aregister I) by pawls c. As shown there are two pawls c for eachindividual register. When a key is pushed it only initially or partiallyoperates its register, namely, by the left pawl. But when the outgoingvoter operates bar Z by any suitable means, thereby reversing movementof the notched bars and keys, the opposite or right pawl c completes thecount-- ing operation, as more fully set forth in my Patent 1,013,679.

As shown at the right in Fig. 3 the push key or bar a when movedinwardly by the voter to initially actuate the register Z) will rock theshaft 6, removably journaled in the machine frame, and move its blades 8to a situation indicated by broken lines, with .the effect to count oneon the register by the engagement of its actuator with pin 11. Theoperation is similar to that described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2except that the register actuator is not moved directly by the key inthe latter case (except that it is initially moved into engagement withbar 14) but by a register actuator moving member 14 engaging the pin 15on the actuator 4, as more fully set forth in my prior Patent 984,149.

In some cases as for multiple candidate voting it may be desirable toprovide means for combining for the purposes of this invention devicescontrolling the actuation of keys situated in parallel rows, as forexample sprocket wheels and chain may be used, as indicated at 16. Byremoval of the chain connection between the rows can be discontinued atwill. By such construction the actuation to voted posit-ion of apredetermined number of keys in either row or in both rows renders theactuation of any other key in the rows ineffectual to count or registera vote. And on the actuation of the registers which cooperate withselected indicators representing an indorsed in a group candidate theauxiliary register 7 registers one vote.

It is obvious that the above described invention does not interfere withthe use of irregular vote, interlocking, lock out, resetting, and othermechanisms such as described in my applications aforesaid, and

that it can be combined with them in a practically effective manner.

Having thus described the invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. A multi-candidate group voting mechanism comprisingtwo counters, two indicators, one for each counter, an auxiliaryregister, and means cont-rolled by the first of said indicators which isoperated for operating the auxiliary register once only on the use ofeither indicator or of both indicators.

operable only when an indicator is in voted position at the final momentof voting.

4. In a voting machine, two vote 1nd1- cators, either indicator or bothindicators being operable at one time, a counter for each indicator, anauxihary register, operating means between each indicator and itscounter, and operating means between said indicators and the auxiliaryregister, said latter means being operable once only when eitherindicator or both indicators are voted, the construction being such thatwhen one indicator is left in voted position its counter and theauxiliary register will be operated,

and when the two indicators are left in voted position the two countersand said auxiliary register will each count one on the final act ofvoting.

5. In a voting machine, the combination of two indicators, acorresponding register for each indicator, a third register operable byeither of said indicators and suitable intermediate devices, and meanswhereby on the final act of voting, whether one or two of saidindicators are left in voted position, said third register will countbut one.

6. In a voting machine, an indicator, two registers therefor both ofwhich are made operative by operation of said indicator, a secondindicator and a register therefor rendered operative by actuation ofsaid second indicator, said second indicator being also adapted to makeoperative one of the first mentioned two registers when, on operation ofthe second indicator, such register is in normal condition, whereby oneof the registers counts the total vote for both indicators and the otherregisters count each the vote of one indicator.-

7. In a voting machine, the combination of a plurality of indicatorseach freely movable to and from Voted position Without In testimonywhereof, I have signed this counting, a register for each indicator, andspecification in the presence of tWo subscrlban auxiliary registeractuated but once if ing Witnesses.

either indicator is left in voted position CHARLES H. OCUMPAUGH. suchoperation of the auxiliary register be- Witnesses:

ing dependent on the first of said indicators R. COPLIN,

operated Whichever it may be. E. STRANCHEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

